KINGDOM HEARTS: FORBIDDEN SECRETS
by XGamer7
Summary: Before Kairi is sent to investigate a strange disturbance, Riku is sent first. As he dives into the untold secrets of this world, will his findings help change the fate of many? This story takes place during FATE-BOUNDED SOULS.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING. ALL CHARACTERS AND THEMES BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS**

**I ALWAYS THOUGHT OF WRITING RIKU'S SIDE OF FATE-BOUNDED SOULS BUT COULD NEVER GET ANY IDEAS AND HAD TO SUMMARIZE IT THROUGH HIS LOGS. THIS STORY WILL ACT SOMETHING SIMILAR TO REVERSE/REBIRTH IN CHAIN OF MEMORIES.**

**THIS STORY TAKES PLACE ALONGSIDE FATE-BOUNDED SOULS.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 1: TIME TO INVESTIGATE<strong>

The sun shines down on Mitakahira Town, a large city known for its technological advances. A fact that is recently known to a certain person. A young man, approximately 16 years old, is leaning against the wall of a building in an alley near a main sidewalk with his arms crossed in front of his torso. He has short silver hair, wearing a white sleeveless, unzipped vest with yellow trimmings at the hems of the collar and the bottom, over a black zipped, sleeveless shirt. He sports blue long jeans, with a black belt around the waist and white and gray shoes. His left wrist is wrapped by bandages. He looks towards the ground with his eyes closed. He slowly raises his head slightly as he opens his eyes, revealing them to be blue as the sky. "There's definitely a strong darkness here," he says solemnly before he closes his eyes as he remembers his reason for coming to this world.

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><p>*FUTURE MASTERS*<p>

_Sparks fly as key-shaped weapons clash. One appears as a wing of a demon with a blue, serpent eye near the hilt and a small angel wing protruding from the tip. The other is a gold key wrapped in vines with flowers protruding off the tip as the teeth. The weapons clash ten more times before their wielders break from each other. These weapons are known as Keyblades. The Keyblade with the demonic wing belongs to the boy, who has recently passed his Mark of Mastery and is recognized as a Keyblade Master. _

_The other belongs to his long time friend, who is being trained to wield her awakening powers. She has long auburn hair and is currently wearing her training outfit. Her outfit consists of a pink, sleeveless mandarin gown, with a black collar, that ends just above her knees with a slight slit on the right side. She wears a large violet ribbon around her waist and is tied in a bow at the back, with two laces going down to the back of her knees. She wears black leggings that cover her entire legs and ends at violet jump boots with a lighter shade than the ribbon. She wears black, skin tight wristbands, a black choker collar around her neck, and below it is a small necklace with a white stone._

_The two are inside an enclosed cavern; there are no entrances or exits. Despite the closed space there is still enough light for them to see each other. The girl pants as she tries to catch her breath. The boy makes a sound of amusement. "Giving up already? Don't tell that's all you got, Kairi?"_

_The girl defiantly smirks, "Not even close." She jumps towards the boy and they clash swords once again. After a minute of parrying and deflect each others' attacks like a dance, Kairi backflips as Riku does a horizontal slash. The moment she lands she points her Keyblade at Riku, she fires several fireballs. Riku raises his hand and creates a barrier. The fireballs impact the shield but could not get through. Kairi fires several blizzard spells at the boy. Riku keeps his shield up, but is surprised that Kairi has actually mastered an advanced version of the spell. The shards of ice continue to go back and forth. Riku's eyes widen as he feels a surge from his friend. Kairi is surrounded by light as she crouches back, her Keyblade extended behind her. She leaps forward and slams the Keyblade on the ground next to the Keyblade Master; creating an explosion of light. It was just enough to break through Riku's shield._

_Though he feels some pain, it's not enough to make him flinch as he jumps back as Kairi gives chase. Riku waits for her and the two goes into another dance of clashing Keyblades. After ten seconds however, Riku swings hard enough to send Kairi's weapon spinning in the air. Riku points his Keyblade at the girl's forehead, who is also taken a step back as a reflex of losing her weapon, which bounces twice on the ground before disappearing in a flash of light._

_Nothing is said for a few moments. Riku smirks with a sound of amusement. "You're definitely getting better, Kairi."_

_The girl gives a contented sigh, with a smile, "It's thanks to you and Master Yen Sid." After she said this, the cavern fades away and the two are surrounded by darkness for a few seconds. Riku dismisses his weapon in this frame of time._

_*_MAGICAL MYSTERY_*_

_They soon find themselves in the study of the Mysterious Tower. Master Yen Sid, sitting in his chair behind a wooden table with a lone, unlit candle on his left, smiles at the two. Riku and Kairi turns to the sorcerer before walking towards him. Kairi stands at Riku's left after stopping in front of the table. Yen Sid turns head to Riku then to Kairi, "A marvelous display of strength and magic. Your progress astounds me once again Kairi." Kairi bows for a few seconds, thanking Yen Sid for his praise. He then turns to Riku, "Riku, I have a task for you."_

_"A task?" Riku responds._

_Yen Sid nods his head. "I have felt a strange disturbance. I managed to trace it to a world that we have yet to encounter."_

_"What sort of world is it?"_

_"Allow me to show you." The sorcerer waves his hands above the table summoning a white cloud. The cloud then reveals a large city, one that neither Kairi nor Riku have seen. As Riku looks at the scene before him, he could not ignore the feeling that despite its peaceful appearance, something sinister lurks within it. The scene dissipates along with the cloud. Yen Sid looks up at the newest Keyblade Master. "Riku, I want you to investigate this disturbance." He waves his hand in front of him and in a puff of smoke; a white orb appears on the table. "Use this to report to me anything that you find."_

_"How does it work?" Riku asks._

_"Focus your magic on it." Yen Sid simply states._

_Riku takes the orb before turning around as Kairi turns sideways. The orb glows as he uses his magic on it. The orb becomes light and scatters before recombining a foot away from him, after the lights have gathered they transform into a gold, framed mirror that is just above Riku's height._

_"Then all you have to do is focus your thoughts on me and the mirror will allow us to communicate with one another."_

_"Got it," said Riku before raising his hand, focusing his magic again. The mirror bursts into light. The sparks come towards his hand and reform back into the white orb. Both Riku and Kairi turn back to Yen Sid._

_"This is all that I can tell you for now."_

_"Alright," Riku says with a nod._

_"Wait," says Kairi. The two males looks at her. "How will Riku find this world?"_

_"Don't worry about that," said Riku. "I sensed something unique in that vision. All I have to do is get that feeling again, and follow it to where it originated."_

_Yen Sid nods head. "You must follow where heart leads you. There you will surely find the world that bears this great disturbance."_

_Riku nods, "Well, I'm off." He turns to his friend, "Kairi," he turns to the sorcerer, "Master Yen Sid." Riku turns around and heads for the door._

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><p>Riku focuses his mind on the present. He looks up at the wall in front of him. He turns his head toward the street. After seeing that no one is coming by he jumps on the wall in front of him. He jumps back to the wall behind him. He wall jumps several times before landing on the building he was leaning on. After a few seconds, he kneels down on one knee and puts a hand on the roof. He closes his eyes. "Now…Let's see where this darkness is coming from." After a minute, he stands up. "I see, it's not just a single source. "There are multiple places where the darkness is more concentrated at." Riku pauses for a moment. "Alright," he says before turning to the right. "Time to investigate."<p>

After an hour, he is walking alongside a main street. Walking towards him in the opposite direction are three girls. The girls wear the same school uniform; a white shirt with black rectangle surrounding the collar area of the shirt. It is obscured by a red bow tie with two laces sprouting from the center point. The wrists and bottom trim are outlined by a red line. The shirt covers the top part of a black, plaid skirt. One has blond hair with ponytails shaped like drills. One has short blue hair and the last has pink hair which is tied into two small pony tails by thin, red ribbons. What catches Riku's eye is a white creature perched on the pinkette's shoulder. The creature is looking at the pinkette so it didn't notice Riku looking at it. He takes in these details in a few seconds before the girls pass by Riku, who looks straight towards the road ahead of him.

Ten minutes later, Riku stops in front of an abandoned building. He turns towards it, narrowing his eyes. "This is it," he says before walking up to the door. The door creeks as he opens it. After taking a few steps, he looks around trying to pinpoint the source. In one of the rooms, he finds a book along with a pen next to it sitting on a table. An idea occurs to Riku and decides to take them. After looking around the first floor for about five minutes he finds the stairs and proceeds to the upper floors.

After checking out the second and third floors, he heads to the fourth floor. Riku walks into a hallway. After walking past a few doors, he feels the power of darkness multiplying at this moment. The scenery around him morphs as he notices strange runes appearing out of thin air.

The scenery finally settles and Riku finds himself in a maze made out of dry vines, including the floor and ceiling. "This is new," he simply states. Riku walks forward. Ahead of him is another corridor on the right. From that corridor, a small blue bird walks from it. Riku stops as he assesses it. It is not a real blue bird. Rather, it looks like a child's drawing of a blue bird. It looks at the Keyblade Master with the one on its eyes. The bird suddenly crows like a raven before leaping at Riku. Riku summons his Keyblade, Way of the Dawn, and slices through it. "That was easy," he comments before heading towards the corridor where it came from. After turning towards it, he stops. He sighs with a shake of his head, "I should really stop making that type of comment." In front of him, is a horde of those strange birds; covering the entire corridor from top to bottom.

#VENARI STRIGAS#

The horde charges at him. At first, their numbers seem to swallow the Keyblade Master whole. After a small spark emanating from within the horde, the birds are completely scattered in every direction. Riku stands at the epicenter, his weapon extended to the side, his eyes closed. He opens them up and the birds charge at him once again. Riku dashes forward slashing through all the strange creatures attacking him. Riku can tell that these creatures have the same vibe of darkness as the source but dramatically weaker. Riku stops as another horde rushes towards him. Riku takes a step back, bringing back his Keyblade as if it is in a sheath. The next moment he disappears. Streaks of light cut through them. Riku appears in a blur on the other side of the horde. He slowly raises his sword in a dramatic flair before flicking it to the side at that. Large holes appear in the monster-constructed wave. The monsters tumble onto the ground. Riku decides to charge ahead, his sights set on the source of darkness that he concludes is the master and creator of this bizarre space.

After several skirmishes with more of these blue birds, Riku is running in another vine-filled corridor. He stops and drops to his battle stance as more of these creatures appear from the ceiling and walls; surrounding him. Riku counts their numbers at approximately twenty. The birds make their charge. Riku raises Keyblade; casting Thunder on the nearby creatures. The attack stuns them before Riku quickly dispatches ten of them. Two charge at him from behind. Riku turns around, slashing through them, before firing a fireball at another bird in that direction. Riku pivots again before charging at three more. He fells them with one strike, one by one. Now there are four left; surrounding him. They jump at him. Riku smirks before disappearing in a blur. The birds smack into each before dropping onto the ground. Before they can straighten out, they are consumed by an explosion of fire. Riku, his weapon pointing at the explosion,  
>sighs. He dismisses his weapon before turning around and walks forward.<p>

After navigating his way through the maze for another ten minutes, he finds himself in a large space with the same interior. After taking ten steps he stops with a slight gasp. "What the- What is that?" At about five yards in front of him, hovering in the air is a giant bird's nest. Floating next to it are two white gloves. Riku can sense without a doubt that this is the source of the darkness. Riku takes his stance, summoning his Keyblade to his right hand.

*SQUIRMING EVIL*

The gloves pass each other in front of the nest, like an illusionist performing a magic trick. After they pass each other a second time, white eggs appear on the nest. The nest portion of the monster flips upside down; the eggs falling to the ground. The moment the eggs impact the viny surface, the bird-like creatures pop out of the broken shell. They look around to get their surroundings but Riku will not give them a chance to attack. He leaps towards them before slaying them quickly. Riku looks up and sees the monster's hands are about to slam him into the ground. Riku rolls out of harm's way. Before he can counterattack, the nest portion fires off several vines; forcing the Keyblade Master to move back as the vines pierce the ground where he once was.

Riku fires off a fire spell. The fireball impacts the nest but there no response. Riku makes a sound of annoyance; he thought that it is weak against fire but is proven wrong. Riku charges ahead; one of the gloves goes straight for him as a response. Riku slashes at the glove, only for it to recoil. Riku takes a step back as a dark aura surrounds his left hand. He thrusts the hand; firing a dark fireball at the exposed hand. The explosion from the impact creates a cloud of smoke. Riku stands firm. His eyes suddenly registers the other hand coming in for a punch. Riku instinctively raises his Keyblade to guard and is knocked into the air by the monster's attack.

After a few seconds, he flips backwards before skidding on the ground. The moment he stops, he propels himself forward. The creature launches more vines from its nest. Riku jumps as the vines hit the ground. Riku lands on one of them before rushing up to it. It doesn't take long for Riku to reach the main body before jumping in the air. The monster suddenly claps its hands; with Riku in the center. Nothing happens for a few short moments. Several streaks cut through the gloves before they are torn apart. Riku now has a dark blue aura surrounding him. He dashes to the nest; the remaining part of the monster. His Keyblade turns into an energy blade which is a black with a violet line in the middle and manifests a similar blade in his left hand. He spins at an angle, cutting into the monster. Riku combines the two energy swords into one before delivering an upward strike. After the attack, the energy sword reverts back into his Keyblade before landing. The nest gives off a strangled cry before being consumed by black flames.

After the flames dissipate for a few seconds, the scenery disappears after warping. Riku finds himself at the top of the abandoned building. Riku looks around as he gets his bearings. He notices something on the floor. Riku takes three steps towards it before picking it up. The item in question appears black, has a spherical shape and a needle pointing out from the bottom. Riku senses something from this and focuses on it with closed eyes. He snaps them open, "This is… It's very faint, but there's no doubt about it. It's the same type of darkness that monster had."

Riku heads for the roof entrance. He stops for a second before turning around. His eyes gaze at the view in front of him. "I can feel it. Another one of those sources of darkness…disappeared. I guess there is someone here that recognizes these things after all. But are they local or from another world? It's best that I don't make contact with anyone until I know what I'm dealing with exactly." Riku heads for the door.

Thirty minutes later, on the third floor inside a room with no windows. Riku is just finishing writing with the pen and book he found earlier. After he is done, he put the objects away. Riku looks around; making sure no one is in the vicinity. He takes out the orb Yen Sid gave him. He focuses his magic on it, transforming it into the communication mirror. After focusing his thoughts towards the mirror, the mirror flashes before revealing Yen Sid in his study. "Master Yen Sid. I think I have found something."

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><p>*ORGANIZATION XIII*<p>

In a chamber known as Where Nothing Gathers, thirteen, extremely tall chairs stand in a circle. On a platform within the circle, is the emblem of a race of beings known as Nobodies. In the chair to the right of the tallest one in the room, is Xemnas, leader of the original Organization XIII. The chair to the left of the tallest one is occupied by Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, wearing the same black coat as his Nobody counterpart. In the fifth chair to Xemnas's right, is the youngest version of Xehanort . Nothing is said between the three Seekers of Darkness.

A plume of darkness sprouts from below the seat of the chair to Xemans's right. The plum quickly fades away, revealing a man with an eye patch over his scarred right eye and another scar on his left check, his hair black with silver streaks tied in a ponytail. He also wears the same black coat as the rest of the present members.

Xemnas directs his attention to the man, "What do you have to report?" he says in a slow, emotionless tone.

The man, Xigbar, speaks, waving his right arm, "You know, it's not easy spying on the new Keyblade Master. I trailed him, just like you wanted to me to. After he went into the building, I quietly followed. He was so focused that he didn't even pick up on my presence. I was following him just fine until he just disappeared." Xigbar raises his hands in the air, "He just vanished into thin air," he lowers his arms. "And I can tell that it was not his doing. The space surrounded him felt unnatural. So I was left with two choices. Follow him and get caught. Or just sit back and wait for him to show up."

Ansem makes a hum of annoyance, "So we do not know what transpired?"

"Perhaps I can enlighten the rest of you," a deep, emotionless voice echoes. A plume of darkness covers the second seat to Ansem's left. Appearing from it is a man with an x-shaped scar on his head with blue, long hair, with long sideburns.

Xigbar makes a sound of amused annoyance. "Where did you go, Saïx? You just up and left me all of a sudden."

"My apologies. I became interested in a peculiar group. Three girls and among them, a white creature. I followed them out of curiosity. They ventured into the backstreets and I noticed that one of them was using a unique object. With it, this girl opened a portal and they ventured forth. I followed them discreetly. Once there, I came across an unusual space. Eventually, I observed a battle between the one that opened the door and a unique creature. Its power stemming from darkness. The moment the creature was defeated the space surrounding us faded away."

"Interesting," said the youngest of the group. He turns his head to the blue-haired man. "By any chance, have you determined what it is?"

"Yes, it appears to a type of being that is common to that world."

"Well, don't leave us hanging," Xigbar states with a wave of his right arm, "what did they call it?"

Saïx close his eyes before he slowly opens them. "It is known as…"

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: That's the first chapter. I do not know when I'll update this. The latest would probably in a month.<strong>

**As for previews, I do not have quotes or keywords so the only thing you'll know is the next chapter's title.**

**I also set up a poll on my profile to see if you would like to see a sequel to Fate-Bounded Souls.**

**Until next time.**

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><p><span><strong>NEXT CHAPTER<strong>

****I'LL HANDLE THIS****


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I do not own anything. All characters and themes belong to their rightful owners.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 2: I'LL HANDLE THIS<strong>

A white cat runs in an alley. But no ordinary alley; it is sketched out in plain black and white. The cat's face is far from normal. It has six beady eyes. Two in the normal spot, two on the inside cheeks and two at the points of where a mouth would be. A blurry figures rushes towards it from above. The blurry figure turns into Riku, who cries out as he lashes out his Keyblade, cutting the creature in two. Riku lands in a kneeled position before standing up as he turns his head back at the creature he slain. The creature disintegrates prior to the space surrounding him transform back into a normal alley.

Riku looks around, but sees no sign of any remains. "Figures. That one didn't have a strong darkness." He takes a hand into his pocket before pulling out two black objects that look very similar to each other. It has been two days since he came to this world. Including the creature he fought when he first got here, Riku just finished conquering his tenth labyrinth. Riku looks up, seeing the sky is already in twilight before looking back at the items in his hand. "The stronger ones drop these things, but the weaker ones leave nothing behind." Riku puts the items back into his pocket. "Still, these things don't seem to be new. More like, they have been here for a long while." The Keyblade Master crosses his arms, "And yet, it feels that these things don't belong here as well. Perhaps these things may be connected to my investigation after all." Riku relaxes his arms, "Well, I better get moving." Riku turns around before moving ahead.

After walking past another alley, he takes ten more steps before a click catches attention. "All right, kid!" a gruff, arrogant voice called out to him. Riku looks back, he didn't really get a good look at the man's face due to his focus on the pistol in the man's right hand. "Hand over all your money before I use this thing," the man says with a cocky attitude.

Riku gives tired sigh. _This is so troublesome…_

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><p><em>Mitakahira City<em>

A group of four girls walk down the sidewalk of a street. Among them is Kairi, who is currently getting to know more of the three girls around her; Madoka, Sayaka, and Mami. With them is a strange, white creature that is perched on Madoka's shoulder. Little did they know, they were being watched.

On a building behind them on their left, is Saïx. He is currently looking down at the girls. Under orders, he is to monitor this group for more information. He is surprised that Kairi appeared during a battle with a Keyblade. The Organization member continues to look at them from his spot before closing his eyes. "Did you think, you could hide your presence from me?"

"So you noticed," a feminine voice said in response.

Saïx looks back, noticing the figure's garbs are mainly white. "Why are you here?" His eyes are looking downward, indicating the figure is shorter than him.

"I would like meet you. And welcome you to this world."

Saïx raises his right brow, "So… you know that I am not from this world."

"Yes. I also know about you… and your Organization." Saïx makes a slight sound of apprehension. "Do not worry. You see…" the girl trails off. "I am here to enlighten you of the system of our world."

"What system?" he asks with a slightly demanding tone.

The girl giggles with a mysterious smile.

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><p>"Forty-nine… and fifty. There you are fifty thousand Yen." A police woman behind a desk smiles with a five piles of cash laid out on the desk in front of Riku. Riku nods before pocketing it. It only took a second for Riku to knock out his attacker. After thinking on what to do with the robber, he decided to turn him in. Turns out, the attacker is a wanted man, and the police is willing to give Riku the reward for the man's arrest. Riku accepted the offer since he can use the money for food and lodging during his stay in this world. "Still, wouldn't you prefer a check?" the officer asks.<p>

"Nah, it's cool. I don't intend to stay here long. I… tend to travel a lot."

"Wow, you're traveling at such a young age?"

"Don't worry. I can take care of myself."

"I wouldn't argue with you there. Thanks again for bringing that man in here. If you need any assistance, please don't hesitate to ask."

"I'll keep that in mind." Riku says before nodding to the police woman goodbye. After walking out the doors, Riku looks around before looking up at the night sky. Riku takes one last look at the station which reads 'Kazamino City Police Headquarters.' Riku decides to find a place to rest for the night as he walks down the street passing by a girl with red hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a light blue sweater and blue jean shorts, who is eating an apple in her right hand.

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><p>Two hours have passed since Riku found a place to call in for the night. His room consists of one bed and the room's size is similar to that of a bedroom in a normal home and is currently unlit. Riku is lying on the bed; relaxing with his eyes closed. Despite being relaxed, he is still thinking about the creatures he came across. He recalls the conversation he had with Master Yen Sid on his first day in this world. He described to him the monsters he has came across and Yen Sid suggests that Riku should do what he believes is right. Riku opens his eyes. He looks at the electronic clock in the room, indicating it is now ten o'clock. He looks back up to the ceiling. "Maybe a couple more hours before I…" he says before trailing off. Seconds later he sits up in a jolt, looking at the window. "Looks like someone's decided to pay me a visit." He walks up to the window before opening it up. Riku's eyes narrow before he jumps down into the alley. Riku turns to his left before walking forward.<p>

As Riku continues to walk the scenery begins to morph around him. He can feel the hard cement shifting into organic matter. He starts to feel like he is being swallowed by a gigantic creature as the walls of the buildings become irregular and pulsing with life. Riku cannot help but feel that he is back again in the insides of a certain giant whale as the scenery sets in as inside of some type of giant life form. Riku continues to walk forward. All of a sudden he hears cries of fear and terror. Riku makes a small gasp in response. "Don't tell me…" he mutters before sprinting forward with everything he has.

A small girl in a teal dress with white cuffs and collar is on her knees. Her hair is a pale green with two yellow, ball-shaped hairclips, giving her two small ponytails off the top sides of her hair. Her eyes are in complete shock at the scene in front of her. A strangled growl gains her attention. She slowly turns her head back. Her eye catches a large brain-like entity with a gigantic eye covering the majority of the frontal lobe. Tens of organic tentacles grow from beneath it. At the end of those tentacles are three-fingered steel claws; the fingers appearing like swords. The girl stands up before turning her body to face it towards the monster. The monster raises one of its tentacles before swinging it towards her.

With a battle roar, Riku soars in the air, Keyblade in hand. He intercepts the claw; deflecting it as it slides down his weapon; causing sparks to fly. The result is the claw slashes down on the ground to the right of the girl. Riku drops to the ground, facing the monster. Riku turns his head to the girl, "Hey, you alright?" Riku's right eye widens as makes a small gasp. Behind the girl are two dead corpses. Riku tightens his left fist before glaring back at the creature. "Stay back." he calls out to the girl. He shifts to his battle pose; his right elbow pulled back with the Keyblade pointed towards his back while his left hand is in a defensive, inviting gesture. "I'll handle this!"

*THE FIGHT FOR MY FRIENDS*

Riku stares down with the creature. After a few seconds, Riku steps back with his left foot, as he pulls his left hand back as it's covered by a dark aura. Seconds later he unleashes a ball of violet-blue flames. Based on its trajectory, it appears it will pass over the creature's head. Before it even passes the creature's front, the fireball divides into eight smaller fireballs of the same color before raining down on the creature; forcing it back.

Riku takes this chance to rush forward in hopes of gaining the creature's full attention and not at the girl. The monster whips outs its tentacles at the Keyblade Master. Riku jumps towards it; barely avoiding the steel blades on the end of the tentacles. With a few swipes, he chops down several tentacles, before unleashing a fire spell at the eye. He rushes to the right of the creature to create space between them and divert the monster away from the girl. The monster sends its claws at Riku. Riku sidesteps several times while chopping down the tentacles. However, he also got scratches on his side and arms during the feat. He points his Keyblade and fires another fire spell. Upon impact on the eye, the monster recoils.

Riku crosses his arms before spreading them, his body now covered by a fiery aura. Riku charges at the creature, which recognizes his assault. It sends out more of its tentacles. Riku slashes through them before attacking the monster head on. In a few seconds, he attacks with a horizontal strike, a vertical cut, followed by a diagonal slash, before he bursts the fiery aura around him; burning the enemy. He lands before backing off as the monster strikes the ground he was on. Riku points his Keyblade at it before firing a dark-violet fireball at it. The fireball splits into eight before impacting it. Riku jumps high as he brings his wielding arm to cross his body; the fiery aura surrounding him now wraps the Keyblade. He swings it; sending a wave of fire that hits the monster and causes pillars of fire to erupt from the ground, causing more damage on the beast.

Riku lands on the ground before standing ready in his stance. The monster regains its composure before making a strangled roar. Its eye turns red as its body is surrounding by a black aura. Riku tenses in response. The monster raises it tentacles towards its body with all the claws glowing with a dark pink aura. The tentacles extend at a fast rate as they lash out, catching the Keyblade Master by surprise. The tentacles jab at the ground, creating shockwaves as Riku jumps to dodge. Another group of tentacles aim for him in the air. Riku clenches his teeth before twisting his body in the air as he deflects one of the tentacles as it slides down his Keyblade. Though he avoided a direct hit, claws from other tentacles scrape his arms and legs. Riku swings the Keyblade in a calculating frenzy; batting away the tentacles. The tentacles finally retract as the aura disappears from the monster. Riku lands on the ground before falling to one knee as he catches his breath as he faces towards the ground.

Riku looks up for a few seconds before standing. He immediately charges towards his foe. The monster sends its arsenal of tentacles at Riku again. Riku slides forward as tentacles fly just above him before they pierce the ground. Riku kicks back on one foot, flipping backwards as more tentacles pierce the ground in front of him. Five more tentacles aim towards him. With a sudden shift of footing and posture, the tentacles barely miss him as Riku stands with the Keyblade pointing up. "Water!" he yells out. Immediately, a pulse of water emanates from him; flowing in a clockwise pattern. The tentacles closest to him get sliced off while the tentacles caught in the spell's outer edge are merely damaged. The monster brings back its tentacles as Riku bursts with energy. The energy forms a blue aura surrounding him as translucent bubbles emanate from the aura.

Riku jumps in the air before propelling forward. The monster sends out its tentacles to meet his charge. Riku unleashes Shadow Breaker; spinning with the Keyblade, covered by a dark aura, before swinging in the opposite direction, still spinning towards the creature, with light covering the tip of his weapon. The tentacles that charged at him get slashed off and by the time Riku is finished he propels forward; reaching the eye in two seconds. He swings the Keyblade upwards before releasing it. The Keyblade is now enshrouded by a blue energy field, giving it the appearance of a surf board. The Keyblade loops around before Riku stands on his energy infused weapon and rides it; striking the monster as if it is waves in the water. Riku rides the Keyblade upwards before flipping and catching it. He immediately dives to the ground, striking the monster in the eye. The monster gives a warped scream in response.

After Riku hits the ground, he extends the Keyblade behind him before jumping for an upward strike creating a trail of water. Riku is above the monster before slamming down on the trail of the water and into the ground. The water bursts forward; drenching the creature as it gets pushed back. The brain hits the ground. Riku, the aura no longer surrounding him, again brings the Keyblade behind him as his wielding arm across his body as he slowly crouches. The monster barely gets itself off the ground before unleashing its tentacles as a massive wave of steeled claws. The claws are about halfway towards him before Riku disappears. Streaks of light appear around the tentacles before Riku suddenly reappears behind it with his weapon extended in front of him. The tentacles are suddenly cut off in pieces; the chain proceeding towards the main body. A gash suddenly appears on the monster's eye. Cracks sprout from the gash. Riku stands up before flicking his weapon. "This is… the end," he suddenly says.

Immediately the monster shatters like glass. A familiar-looking object slowly descends from what used to be the monster's center. The space around him warps before fading away, revealing that he is an alley. Riku turns around before walking up to the object. Riku picks it up and stares at it for a few seconds. He pockets the object before hearing a small stifle. Riku gasps as he recalls about the girl that the monster almost killed. He looks to his right, finding the girl; who is kneeling and looking towards the ground away from him.

*TEARS OF THE LIGHT*

Riku walks towards her. As he gets closer, the girl's stifles become more audible. "Mom…Dad…" she says in a noticeable, trembling whisper. Riku makes a sigh after a few seconds; recalling the two dead corpses he saw before he fought the monster. Riku slowly shakes his head with closed eyes.

The Keyblade Master opens his eyes before kneeling down on his right knee as he places his right hand on his left knee, facing the ground. "I'm sorry," he says solemnly. "If I got here faster, I could've saved them."

"Are they… Are they really…" the girl tilts her head more forward.

"I know it's hard to accept," says Riku. Riku looks at her. He instantly notices the girl is trembling heavily. He can tell that she is not ready to accept what has occurred. "Listen. There are times you shouldn't cry. And there are times you should. I know the truth is hard to bear, but we need to accept it. If we continue to reject our circumstances, we continue to distance ourselves from the truth and our reality. I should know; I once rejected something once." Riku looks at the palm of his left hand for a few seconds. "Because I rejected it, I almost lost…" Riku sighs before clenching his hand. He turns his attention back to the girl. "So, there's no need to hold back your tears. There's no shame to let them go. Shedding your tears… is the first step for you to accept it."

The girl clenches her hands. She turns around with a wail before planting her face into Riku's chest, as she grasps his jacket. Riku is startled by this reaction, but it quickly fades as he puts right hand on the back of the girls head. Riku can feel the tears soaking on his shirt as the girl continues to cry. "That's it." He says softly. "Let it all out. There's no need for you to hold back." The girl makes a sorrowful scream before she continues to cry.

Ten minutes have passed as the girl's cries turn into stifles. "Are you okay?" Riku asks. The girl takes a few steps back. After ten seconds, she slowly nods. "Hey, why don't you tell me your name?"

She rubs her eyes with her right arm for a few seconds. The girl looks up at Riku. "My name… My name is Yuma."

"Yuma…" Riku says before giving a contented sigh with closed eyes. He opens them back up, "That's a good name. My name is Riku."

"Riku… Do you… fight monsters?" she says as she looks down.

"Yeah," Riku stands up, "you could say that."

"Are there more monsters like that one?"

"I won't lie to you; there are more monsters like that out there."

"Aren't you scared?" she asks with a frown.

"Well, I've faced so many monsters, there's not really anything I fear," answers the Keyblade Master with a hand on his left hip as he looks at the sky.

"You must be really strong then," she says with a small smile as she looks up at him .

"Well… I'm not all that strong." He looks at the girl, "Besides, I still have my fears."

"What are you scared of?"

"The thing I'm mostly afraid of… is losing someone that's important to me."

Yuma makes a small gasp. "Did you lose someone, too?" The Keyblade master responds with a sigh.

Riku walks past Yuma before stopping after six steps. "You could say I also lost someone as well." Riku says as he looks down.

"Who?" Yuma asks in a sad, curious tone. Riku does not respond for a few seconds.

*RIKU'S THEME*

"Myself…" He looks at the palm of his left hand. "I lost sight of who I was. When that happened, that's when I began to lose everything. My family, my friends… I still remember the accusations." His mind flashes back to his encounter with Zexion in a replica of his home world. "I won't deny them, because it is the truth." Riku lowers his arm as he looks forward, "But like I said earlier, by accepting reality, we can move forward. I accepted what I have done wrong. I accepted that I shouldn't deserve a second chance." Riku smiles, "And I accept the help of a friend who believes in me." Riku makes a sound of amusement before looking up towards the stars in the sky. "We may lose things we cherish time and time again. But, as long as you remember the things you lost. If it's something irreplaceable, then you have to keep on remembering them. That there is the proof that someone… or something is important to you." Riku turns back at Yuma. He walks up to her, "You see, we're not all different…" he kneels down to meet her at eye level. "We may not like how our lives have turned out. But it's up to us to make the best of it." Riku tilts his head to the side, "Understand?"

"Not really…" she says with a slight tilt of her head to the side.

Riku gives a slight chuckle. "It's okay that you don't understand now. But one day, you will understand. Trust me." Riku stands up. "Come on; time to get you someplace safe."

"What do you mean?" she asks with a tone just short of surprise

"Huh?"

"Can't I just go with you?" she looks at him with pleading eyes.

Riku responds with an uncertain sigh, "I'm sorry." Yuma makes a small gasp before looking at the ground. "But listen," she looks back up, "Until we go our separate ways, I'll keep you safe." Riku offers a hand to her. "Come on, I have a good idea of where we can get you help." Yuma makes a small stifle when she looks down before looking up at the Keyblade Master with a appreciative smile. She takes his hand. "Stay close. We don't want to run into any more of those monsters, do we?" The girl shakes her head with closed, making two hums. After she opens them, the two slowly walk down the alleyway.

* * *

><p>#SCAENA FELIX#<p>

Yuma sits on a chair with her legs dangling in the air as she looks at the table in front of her. She is now in a small room. Right next to the only door in the room, which is on the opposite wall as the table, is Riku. His arms are crossed over his chest as he looks towards the ground with closed eyes. It has been an hour since they walked away together from that alley. As soon as the door opens, Riku opens his eyes and looks towards the general direction. Coming into the room is the police woman that gave the money reward to him earlier. She turns her head to the young man. "May I speak with you?"

Riku nods before following her out of the room. Riku closed the door behind him before looking at the officer. "Well?"

"We did find her grandmother," she says solemnly. Her head goes downcast, "However, she's in the hospital and is very sick."

"I see. You don't know if Yuma should see her."

"I had a talk with the doctors; they estimate that she has about a month before…" she says before trailing off.

"I understand. Still, I think Yuma needs to see her."

"Are you sure?" she asks when she looks up towards Riku.

"Yeah. Even if it's a short window, Yuma should see her."

"I see. Very well, I'll take her there momentarily."

"Thanks. But, let me talk to her about it first."

"Very well. She seems to trust you after all," the woman says with a smile.

Riku nods before entering the room. After closing the door behind him, he looks forward. He gets startled a little when he sees Yuma standing in the middle of the room looking at him with pleading eyes. Riku walks to her. Riku kneels down. "So, you heard all that?" Riku guesses.

Yuma looks down with a frown. "Is she really that sick?"

"Do you still want to meet her?" Riku asks.

Yuma simply nods in response. She looks up at Riku, "Can you do anything?"

Riku makes a sound of hesitation before sighing. "Sorry. I just don't have that kind of power. I know a few healing spells. However… they are meant to treat minor wounds and lost energy during a fight." Riku looks at his hand. "Besides I'm…" Riku trails off. Riku looks back at the girl. "I know it's such a short time frame, but you need to make the most of it to know your grandmother. Also make me a promise."

"A promise?"

"Yeah. No matter what happens. Always stay strong. Don't let the world around you get the best of you. Live life everyday with a smile. Eventually, you'll find someone that you can truly depend on. So promise me. Promise me that you'll be a good girl and stay strong. Think you can do that?"

Yuma looks down. "But I'm not strong as you…" Riku softly chuckles, making the girl look up with a questioning hum.

"The strength I'm talking about. Isn't about having powers." Riku raises his right hand. "It's about this," he says as he pokes a finger on the girl's chest. The girl raises a hand to the spot Riku touched. "This?"

"Your heart," Riku clarifies, "As long as you keep your heart strong, nothing will stand against you. Understand." Riku says with a smile.

Yuma's face brightens with a smile. She closes her eyes as she nods before opening them up. "Okay. I promise."

"Also remember, though we may be far apart. Our hearts are connected. Just believe in yourself and everything will be fine." Yuma nods her head in response holding her smile. Yuma suddenly looks to the ground as she becomes timid once again. Riku's eyes widen in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Well…Those monsters. You said that they're still out there."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of them." Yuma looks up at him. "And to make sure they won't bother you again. I'll destroy each and every one of them in this city."

"You promise?"

"I promise. I'll take out the ones that are currently in this city. And to make sure they don't come back, I'll get rid of the ones outside of the city. But if they do come back, just have faith that someone will take care of them. Understand?"

Yuma gives a big smile before hugging the Keyblade Master. Riku responds by wrapping his right arm around her. "Will I ever see you again?" Yuma asks.

Riku looks at her straight in the eye. "I don't know when but, I'm sure we'll see each other again." After a few seconds, the girl happily giggles.

* * *

><p>Riku enters his room through the open window. He closes it before walking to the center of the room. He pulls out the orb. Seconds later, the orb turned into mirror. The mirror gleams before Riku sees Yen Sid in the glass.<p>

"I'm glad to see you are well, Riku," said the sorcerer. Riku nods in response. "Tell me, have you found out more about your investigation."

"Not really. I've just been taking out these monsters. Though I do know they tend to prey on innocent people."

Yen Sid hums as the strokes his beard. "I see. I have just received a report from Kairi."

Riku takes a step back, "Huh? Kairi?!" Riku instantly realizes something when his thoughts picked on the word 'report.' "Wait. Kairi is on this world?"

"Correct. I sent her here to do a follow up on your earlier reports."

"I see." Riku says as he raises a fist to his chin as he looks down. He recalls about giving another report last night. He looks straight at the mirror. "So what did she find out?"

After ten minutes of Yen Sid explaining Kairi's report. Riku makes a hum. "Okay, so in short. These monsters are called Witches. These Witches tend to spawn out Familiars as they curse people to kill themselves or others. And the only ones capable of defeating them prior to our arrival are Magical Girls."

"Correct. According to Kairi's sources, Magical Girls are born through wishes. While Witches are born through curses."

"Curses…huh," Riku crosses his arms.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. It's just… I think there's more to it than that." Riku lowers his arms, "I mean from curses alone. Perhaps there's something about this world. Or maybe something else entirely."

"That is plausible."

"All right. Just to be sure, how can I identify a Magical Girl again?"

"You can easily tell, if a girl possesses a jewel known as a Soul Gem, which houses their power."

"And if I remember right," Riku puts a hand in his pocket before pulling out three small objects that look very similar to one another, "Soul Gems regain their power when they get purified by using Grief Seeds, right?"

"Correct," said the sorcerer. Riku nods in affirmation. After a few seconds, Yen Sid smiles "That is all I have for now."

"Thanks, master. I think I know how to proceed with my investigation from now on. I'll call back again tomorrow night." Yen Sid nods his head before his image fades away from the mirror's glass; eventually showing Riku's reflection. Riku offers a hand towards the mirror before it glows and disperses into particles of light. The light gathers into his hand and in a flash the orb appears in his hand. Riku turns towards the bed. Riku smirks as he remembers a promise. "Well, better rest up. After that," Riku's smirk slightly grows, "it's time to go on a Witch hunt!"

* * *

><p>Beeping noises are made every few seconds in an unlit room. The only sources of light are the monitors in the room. Next to the monitors is an elderly woman in a bed. Everything but her head is covered in white blankets. Sitting on a chair, next to the bed, is Yuma. She looks at her sick grandmother with a sad face. "I wish you can get better," she says softly. Slowly, a unique shadow crosses over the bed. Yuma looks up with a curious hum. She finds a small figure sitting on the window sill. It has four legs with long ears and a large, fluffy tail swishing back and forth.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><em>Where Nothing Gathers<em>**

*ORGANIZATION XIII*

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa!" Xigbar says out loud in his chair. "Let me get this straight." The Sharpshooter begins to wave his right arm around, "Prospective girls make a wish with a price of their soul. After said wish is granted, they have to fight these Witches. And after all the good they do in helping other people and defeating Witches, what's their reward? They become Witches themselves."

"That is what my source has stated," Saïx says stoically; leaning forward in his chair.

Xigbar makes a sound of annoyance with a smile, "Some deal. I mean, seriously, talk about getting the short straw." He brings his right hand to his chest, "Not that I want it to happen to me again, but I would rather lose my heart to the Heartless," he finishes with a fling of his right arm in the air.

Ansem makes an amused hum. "Such is the way of things. Their desire for light eventually gives way to darkness." The Seeker of Darkness closes his right hand with the palm facing up, "The light of their souls, which becomes the source of their power, eventually erodes into darkness itself."

"Indeed," Xemnas says in his hollowed voice. "With their souls stripped away. Who's to say they are still alive. The heart is one thing but the soul is entirely different. We should treat them as beings that should no longer exist."

"However, we must continue to observe them and their counterparts," said Young Xehanort. "Also, we need to keep an eye on the Keyblade wielders. Especially…," the teenager smiles, "the Princess of Heart."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: There's the second chapter.<strong>

**I wonder if any of you people see any familiar faces.**

**Next chapter would probably be up within a month at most.**

**This may sound early but, Happy Holidays everyone.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>NEXT CHAPTER<strong>

**I NEED TO KEEP GOING FORWARD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Just to clear up some possible confusion, the green haired girl mentioned in FATE-BOUNDED SOULS is not Yuma.**

**Now that is taken care of. Enjoy the chapter everyone.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 3: I NEED TO KEEP GOING FORWARD<strong>

The sun shines bright in the blue sky as it bathes in the city below it. In one of the alleys, lying next to a wall is a young girl with brown hair. She lazily looks forward; her eyes have no pupils in her brown irises. On the side of her neck is a small mark. The mark is blue and of an intricate design. All of a sudden, the mark disintegrates. The air above the girl twists and warps with a fog-like aura.

From that aura, Riku drops to the ground; landing in a crouched position. The air above the two returns to normal as Riku stands up. Riku holds his clenched, right hand in front of him. He looks down at it as he opens it up to reveal a Grief Seed in his palm. "Another one bites the dust," said Riku. He turns towards the girl. He gently shakes her on her shoulder. "Hey, wake up."

The girl blinks her eyes twice, before gasping as she looks forward. She looks around; the pupils in her eyes returned. She looks up at the silver haired boy standing over her. "Wh-Where am I?"

"Don't worry, you're safe. You're just in an alley, that's all."

"An alley?"

"Do you remember what you were doing?"

"Well, I was walking from home. Thinking how I'm going to explain my parents about how terrible I failed my test. All of a sudden, I heard voices… At least I think I heard them."

"Don't worry. I don't think it was that important." Riku points to his right with his thumb, "Just keep following down this path. Once you hit a fork, go left and it'll take you back to the main street."

"Thanks," the girl says as she stands up. She starts to walk in that direction before she notices the boy isn't following her. She turns her head around, "Aren't you…huh?" she says with a slight tilt of her head. Riku is no longer behind her. He is now looking down at her from the top of a roof of a nearby building.

The Keyblade Master smirks with a sound of amusement. "Looks like I managed to save her in time." Riku walks to the center of the roof. "Let's see…" he says as he faces the ground with closed eyes. "The closest source of darkness is…" He snaps his head to the right. "There!" Riku runs forward before jumping onto the adjacent building.

* * *

><p>Somewhere away from Riku, the air warps on the roof of a building. The buildings next to it are a similar height of about seven stories. However the building directly across the street from it is about 5 stories taller. As for the warp in the air, it returns to normal as a small figure stands in the middle of the roof.<p>

The figure is a girl with green hair, a green and white dress with gold accessories attached to it, green, skin-tight arm warmers that stop short of the shoulders with thin, white mittens. She also sports a white cap with cat ears, a light green ribbon on her lower back with two long laces. There is a gold ball on her neck, held by a white ribbon, making it look like a flower and green and white shoes. She sighs with closed eyes as she faces towards the ground before looking, revealing her blue eyes. This girl is none other than Yuma; the same girl that Riku saved last night. However, she is now a Magical Girl.

"Darn," she simply says, "not another Familiar." She sighs. "Kyubey says that I need to get Grief Seeds from Witches in order to keep my Soul Gem clean." She looks forward, "I have to find a Grief Seed and soon." She softly smiles, "Then as soon as Grandma can go home, we can do all sorts of things together."

"Awe, isn't that sweet?" A man's voice mocks her. Causing her to gasp and look around for the source of the voice. A pillar of darkness erupts about seven feet away from her. After the darkness disappears, Xigbar appears in its place; staring down at the Magical Girl with a smirk.

*ANOTHER SIDE (BATTLE VERSION)*

Without a thought, she takes a step back. "Wh-who are you? What do you want?"

"Don't be shy. It's not what I want. It's what you want. And what you want is a Grief Seed? Well, don't worry. I'll help you get one."

"You will?" she says in a hopeful voice, but with a frown; she has a feeling deep down that this person is up to no good.

"Of course. Tell you what; a Grief Seed can be all yours…" His cruel smirk grows before he summons his two Arrowguns. Yuma makes a sound of apprehension as her body tenses. "If you can beat me, that is." He points his right Arrowgun at the girl before firing a volley of five shots. Yuma dives to her left; avoiding the projectiles before hit the ground in a line. Yuma gets up and summons a staff to her hands. It has a white shaft and the top is a golden ball with a cat tail sprouting from it. "Okay, let's see what you got," the Sharpshooter says before dropping to his battle stance; his left Arrowgun pointing towards the ground as the other is pointed towards the sky.

After a standoff for five seconds, Xigbar points both of his weapons at the Magical Girl before firing them. Yuma jumps forward; dodging the Sharpshooter's attack. Xigbar spins in place once before firing several more shots with his left Arrowgun towards the air. The projectiles hit their target; knocking her back. She flips backwards before landing nimbly on the ground. She slams the ground with her staff, creating a shockwave towards the Organization member. Xigbar jumps up to avoid the attack. To Yuma's surprise, the man is now hanging upside down on some type of invisible ceiling.

The man snickers has he fires at the girl; who is jumping all over the roof in an attempt to dodge the Sharpshooter's attacks. After landing after she jumped for the tenth time, she swings her weapon like a baseball bat; firing a wave of energy at the hanging man. Xigbar crosses his arms in front of him and takes the hit. However, he is only pushed for a few inches. "Not bad," he says with his trademark smirk before flipping back up-right before landing on the roof. "But it's not over yet!"

Yuma stares at the one-eyed man with apprehension. After a few seconds, Xigbar instantly disappears in a flash. Yuma responds with a small gasp before she looks around; pivoting on her feet every two seconds in her desperate attempt to find him. Little does she know, she is now in the sights of a sniper's crosshairs. Xigbar makes a sound of amusement before pulling the trigger. Luckily, Yuma sees a flash from the taller building across the street. She dives towards that direction as the projectile barely misses her and hits the floor. She looks up; she can barely see the man on the top but knows that it is him. Xigbar disassembles his sniper gun back into his two Arrowguns. Xigbar disappears once again only to reappear in front of Yuma. She looks up in surprise, as the Sharpshooter's right Arrowgun pointed at her forehead in point-blank range. "Boo," he says instantly before pulling the trigger. The Magical Girl lets out a yelp of pain before hitting the rooftop after getting pushed for a few feet; landing on her stomach after bouncing once.

"Awww. What's wrong, little kitty? Giving up already?" Xigbar mocks as he shrugs his arms casually as she tries to get up. "I guess you really don't want one of those Grief Seeds after all." Yuma glares at him angrily as she clenches her teeth. Xigbar smirks in response. "You really think that look of yours scares me? Peh. As if. You just don't have what it takes to survive in this world," he claims as he points his right Arrowgun at the Magical Girl.

"You-You're wrong!" she exclaims. "I...I can do it!" she yells out at her attacker, as she puts her legs in positions for a running start.

"Oh~, is that so? Why don't you prove?" he says before firing at the girl. She runs forward. Though despite taking a few hits, her rush does not falter. Xigbar makes a sound of apprehension before firing several more rounds. Yuma rolls under the projectiles and is now in front of the Sharpshooter after her roll. She jumps up before planting her right foot on the man's face. She kicks off, staggering Xigbar before she releases a shockwave through the air before it hits the man; staggering him further. She lands in the middle of the roof and immediately raises her staff behind her head. With an aggressive roar, she slams her weapon on the rooftop, creating a massive shockwave. Xigbar, just getting reoriented from Yuma's previous assault, looks up and sees the shockwave heading straight towards him. "What!" he exclaims as the shockwave is about to hit him.

Yuma pants as she stares forward. There is no sign of the man that got caught in her last attack. Exhausted, she falls backwards, and reverts back to her normal clothes; the staff disappears as well. The light from her transformation gathers into her left palm; forming into a Green Soul Gem. However, the Soul Gem is clouded with dark energy.

"I…I got him," she says between breaths.

"Nope, you missed," Xigbar's voice rings through the air. Yuma's eyes instantly widen in fear. A plume of darkness sprouts next to her and disappears after a few seconds. In its wake the Sharpshooter appears. "So sorry, but I teleported right at the last second. Had to make it look convincing," he says as he waves his arms in front of him. "But I admit you definitely have power. If that hit me, it would have knocked me out for a good spell. Too bad it's all gone to waste. Just like your wish."

*THE KEY OF DARKNESS*

Yuma looks at him with confusion, "Allow me to make you realize the situation you put yourself in. First, why is that thing in your hand called a Soul Gem? Now why would it be called that, hmm? Why not Magic Gem or Power Gem? But instead is called a Soul Gem and the answer to all these questions, is what's contained in that little piece of jewelry?" he asks as he points towards it several times

"What's…contained in them," she says softly before looking at her Soul Gem. She stares at it for a few seconds before her eyes slowly widen in fear.

Xigbar, despite not seeing her expression, can tell the girl has suddenly tensed. "That's right. That little gem, has your poor, little soul. Though, your soul doesn't look all bright. Disgusting and twisted. Doesn't really make me thing you're a goody-two shoes."

Yuma continues to pant as she stares at her Soul Gem, she realizes she used too much of her magic and needs a Grief Seed immediately. She looks at the man with pleading eyes, "You…You said… you can give me… a Grief Seed."

"Oh, I think you misunderstood," he says with a casual wave of his right arm. Yuma responds with a sound of confusion and fear. "I said a Grief Seed can be yours…I didn't exactly said I would give one to you. But I was helping you get one. I just wasn't…specific with the details."

"Huh?" she responds with a deep breath.

Xigbar points at the Soul Gem several times, "Take a good look at your Soul Gem. If it's all clean and glistening, I get the impression that you're a good little girl that won't do anything wrong. However, from the looks of things, that is definitely not the case. If I were to judge only by that piece of jewelry, I'd say you are not an innocent Magical Girl. Rather, you look more like a little Witch to me," he says with his smirk.

"A Witch?" she says in confusion before her mind is racing for answers. Why would he call her a Witch? Is it because she can use magic? No, it's got to mean deeper than that. She looks at her tainted Soul Gem. The more she stares the more she thinks about what this man is trying to get to. The man claims that he is helping her get a Grief Seed. And Grief Seeds are dropped by Witches. She makes a sound of pure fear and terror as she stare at the Soul Gem with wide eyes. She continues to gasp at it.

Xigbar makes a sound of amusement. "Now, you get it. The Grief Seed I was talking about all along. It's going to come out of your pitch-black soul. You thought things will get better when you made your wish. Truth is you walked right into a trap. And from the Grief Seed about to be hatched from that cracking shell, will produce the very thing you are meant to fight against. Talk about irony, huh?" he said with a shrug.

Yuma continues to stare at her twisted Soul Gem, her heart now filled with despair. Before she realizes it, her mind flashes back to her first meeting with her Grandmother. After making her wish and her Grandmother appears to regain some strength, the two had a conversation. The elder told her grandchild how Yuma's mother used to be a sweet innocent girl, before she started hanging out with the wrong crowds in her adolescence. She asks Yuma to make her a promise that she'll be a good girl. Yuma responded that she will and told her Grandmother about the boy that she made the same promise to. At that moment, her mind flashes back to the promise she made to Riku. She instantly remembers his strength, his conviction, and his promise.

Her mind is now back at the present; staring at her blackened Soul Gem. Tears start to form in her eyes. "Riku…" she mutters out. At that moment, her Soul Gem cracks.

* * *

><p>Not far from the battle between the Sharpshooter and Yuma, the air above a building several blocks away warps. From the warped space, Riku descends from it before landing on the floor. He stands up before putting the back of his right hand on his hip. "There's not many left in this city. Now then the-" Riku makes a gasp before turning around, "What!" He continues to stare at that direction. "No doubt about it. That's definitely darkness. Yet, I never noticed till now. Then again, it felt like an explosion of dark energy." An idea sparks into Riku's head, "If I hurry, I might learn something more about these Witches."<p>

After a minute of jumping from one rooftop after another he stops. He can clearly see a black dome on top of the rooftop of a building after the next one. Riku picks up his speed before jumping. He continues his run immediately after landing before jumping again. Riku disappears into the dome.

Riku finds himself walking in a large living room. Compared to the room, he is the size of the mouse. The floor is blue, the walls are a striped pattern of green and white, and next to the wall on his right, is a large, pale pink sofa. Further down is a giant wooden table towards the left side of the room. Next to the table is an orange, empty pet bowl with white runes on the side. There are several balls of yarn spread throughout the floor; Riku passes by one. The Keyblade Master stops in the middle of the room, the sofa directly to his right, before looking around. When he looked up at the wall behind the sofa. Riku makes a slight gasp of apprehension. "Hold on, isn't that…" Above the sofa, near the ceiling, is a picture in a round, makeshift, red frame. Though the picture looks like a child's drawing, Riku makes out the key features. The drawing has silver hair, white skin, and a white shirt with a yellow collar and a black line down the middle vertically. "Is…Is that supposed to be me?"

Before Riku can ponder further, he hears a banging sound to his right. Riku looks towards that direction to find a door that is as tall as the wall. Towards the bottom of the door, is a pet door. Much like everything else in the room, it is meant for a pet of a giant. Riku hears the bang again, this time witnessing the pet door bulging. The pet door bulges even more after three more consecutive knocks. Finally, the bulging door finally opens, and popping out of it is a giant golden ball with cat ears, swirling eyes, and a large toothy smile that seems to be painted on. Riku takes a step back as he assesses the being in front of him. After several seconds, the creature's main body is revealed; a massive white body, with green stripes, in proportion to its head. The tail of the creature is thin, yet in proportion to its body. Based on the amount of darkness Riku senses from it, there's no doubt that this is a Witch. However, there is something unique about the darkness the Witch is emitting, but Riku can't point out what it is.

*THE OTHER PROMISE*

The gigantic cat-like Witch casually walks towards him. Riku responds by summoning Way of the Dawn as he shifts to his battle stance. The Witch stops walking when the Keyblade master is ten yards away. Nothing occurs afterwards except for the Witch simply staring at Riku. To Riku's surprise, it diverts its attention towards something behind Riku on his right. The cat simply walks forward; strolling by the Keyblade Master. The being suddenly stops, and is looking directly down at the empty bowl. Riku finds the Witch's behavior odd, normally a Witch would either make the first attack or makes a defensive stand. But this Witch is acting nearly identical to a cat that is tamed and taken care of like a pet. The cat turns to Riku causing him to slightly tense.

The cat makes a running start, Riku makes his stand. The Witch jumps and to Riku's surprise again, it jumps over him. After landing, it creates a massive shockwave, Riku jumps up to avoid it. The shockwave goes throughout the room; shifting the balls of yarn from their original position. After Riku lands, it takes a few steps before turning back to the Keyblade Master, who is keeping an eye on the large feline.

After stopping behind a ball of yarn, the cat lays on the floor. It plays with it in its two paws. Riku believes that it is part of a ruse to drop his guard. The cat bows its head towards the yarn. Without warning, it flicks its head at the ball, causing it to roll at an extremely high speed and is heading directly at Riku. Riku dives to his left before rolling; dodging the yarn ball just in time. The ball hits the opposite wall with a thud. Riku looks at the ball before glaring at the Witch. The Witch is already sitting down on its paws. The Witch looks down, apparently in disappointment. Riku originally thought that it is disappointed that its attack missed but another idea came to him. Not once it tried to attack him directly with its body. Also it appears that it doesn't mean to kill him based on its behavior. "Hold on," Riku says as his head wraps around a theory. "Is it just…playing with me?"

The Witch stands up before bending down. Riku raises his Keyblade, ready for its next move. The Witch runs forward, causing miniature shockwaves with each step. Riku stands his ground. As the Witch is about to run him over, Riku raises his Keyblade in defense. The Keyblade clashes with the giant's head, as Riku grunts against the full weight of the Witch's charge. The standoff stays for a few seconds, before the Keyblade flashes, catching Riku's attention, though he is still able to focus his strength to protect himself. The Keyblade shines with a bright light, "What!" he says as the light blinds him.

When Riku can see again, he finds himself in an ethereal space. No matter where he looks, swirls of green spin around in a large area, like the eye of a hurricane; with lines of runes hugging the walls circling around the space. His eye suddenly catches something in the distance. It appears to be a green silhouette that is about half his side. He can make out the figure is wearing a dress, with a ribbon with long laces on its back, and cat-like ears. "What, what are you?" Riku asks. The silhouette does not make a response.

The phantom runs forward before jumping. After flipping once, it is brandishing a staff with sphere sporting a cat tail. The figure slams on the invisible ground, creating a shockwave at the Keyblade Master. Riku rolls to his right before rushing towards the silhouette. Riku swings at the silhouette with an overhead strike, but his target blocks it with its staff. After the weapons have been locked for a few seconds, Riku gasps before jumping back; backflipping once in the air before his descent. He lands at a distance away from the phantom. Riku clutches the left side of his chest with his left as lowers his weapon, breathing heavily. "What is this? My chest…No…my heart is in pain. Why?" Riku looks at the figure. _Somehow…I know this thing. Or rather someone, _Riku thinks. "Just what are you?!" he yells out desperately.

The figure simply stands still for a few seconds before raising its staff above its head. Riku makes a sound of annoyance before charging in with a battle cry. The silhouette slams on the ground, creating a powerful shockwave heading directly towards him. Riku stands his ground and strikes at the energy attack. Riku struggles for a few seconds before roaring out. Seconds later he manages to dissipate the enemy's attack with his weapon extended to the side. He immediately zooms forward, feet off the ground, before delivering a powerful upward slash; launching the phantom into the air. After his feet touch the floor, Riku jumps up and delivers a quick combo of seven strikes with the Keyblade before sending a powerful downwards slash that pushes the silhouette away and towards the ground; landing in a thud before bouncing a couple times. Riku lands on the ground before shifting to his battle stance. Riku lowers his weapon as the pain from earlier returns. "Why…Why does it hurt so much?" he asks in confused annoyance as he grasps his chest.

"I…" a strangled girl's voice echoes throughout the space. Prompting the young man to look up at the phantom, which is now standing. "I… don't…want to…hurt anyone." Riku gasps. The voice is somehow familiar but he can't figure out who's voice. "I…must….must keep…my promise…" Riku continues to stare at astonishment. "Please… help me…" the figure says before everything goes white.

Riku makes cries out in pain as he is pushed into the air with closed eyes. Riku opens them up with a small gasp before recovering. After skidding on the blue floor after landing, he immediately looks up and finds himself staring at the cat-like Witch. "I'll set you free…" he says in a monotone voice, almost in a trance-like state. The Witch bends down before charging forward. Riku makes a running start as well. The two combatants jump at the same time. The Witch's paws are extended forward as the Keyblade Master crosses his weapon arm over his body. At the moment prior to when the two collide, to Riku's surprise the Witch lowers its paws; leaving it completely vulnerable. Riku's eyes narrow as he tightens his grip on the Keyblade. With a loud battle cry Riku slashes forward.

The Witch crashes into the ground before bouncing several times before its body is facing towards the Keyblade Master, who lands at that moment. After a second, Riku turns around as the Witch manages to stand up. Nothing happens for five seconds during the stare down. Sparks begin to fly from the center of the Witch. The light from within the Witch explodes, blinding Riku. "Thank you," said the voice, which is less strangled and sounds more like an echo.

When Riku opens his eyes he finds himself back on the rooftop as the sun begins to set. On the ground in front of him is a Grief Seed. He walks towards it before he stands above it. He bends down in order to pick it up. The moment he touches it, his mind goes blank before the voice speaks again, "I kept my promise…right?" When Riku regains his senses he stands up with the Grief Seed in tow. He looks down at it.

"Just what is this all that about? And that voice, it almost sounded like…" Riku pauses as he tries to remember a person's face and voice. But that train of thought is interrupted.

"An impressive display, Keyblade Master," a female voice speaks from behind. Riku immediately turns around. He finds a girl slightly younger than him, wearing a white blouse under a red school uniform. She has pale, silver hair and sky blue eyes.

Immediately, Riku looks intensely at her, "Who are you? And how do you know about the Keyblade?!" he demands.

"You can relax, I am not your enemy," she slowly walks to him, showing she has no intention of fighting. "In a way, you can say we are allies against a certain enemy."

"Enemy…" Riku mutters out. His eyes widen a tab, "You mean Witches."

"To a certain extent, yes. But I'm referring to another being."

"Another being?" he asks.

"Yes, a being you will soon become aware of." She stops in front of him.

Riku is confused by her words. He recalls that she hasn't answered his other question, "You still haven't told me on how you know about me or the Keyblade."

"I know…" she says with a mysterious smile, "because I have foreseen both the arrival of you and your friend."

Riku's eyes widen as he makes a small gasp while taking a step back. "Hold on. You can see the future?"

"Yes…that is my magic," the girl replies.

"Magic?" Riku thought before he remembers something about this world, "So, you're a Magical Girl, I take it?"

"Yes. Is this your first encounter with one?"

"Yeah, I just know about your kind from what I've been told."

"I see." She turns her gaze to the Grief Seed in Riku's hand. "Do you truly need that?"

Riku looks in the direction of where her eyes are looking at. After finding the Grief Seed in his hand, "Actually, no I don't. And since you're a Magical Girl, this is something you need for your Soul Gem, right?"

"Correct," she says with a nod.

Riku looks at the object in his hand. For some odd reason, he does not want to let it go; it didn't feel right for him to do it. But that was only for a few moments before he extends his hand towards her to present the Grief Seed. The girl takes her right hand and places it on top of the Grief Seed. To Riku's surprise and confusion, she brings her left hand and presses it against the back of Riku's presenting hand. He looks at her, only to find her looking towards the ground with closed eyes. After a few seconds, she lifts up her head, opening her eyes. She removed her hands away from Riku's hand; the Grief Seed no longer there.

"As thanks, I will give you a warning," says the girl.

"Warning?" he looks at her with a stern gaze.

The girl mysteriously smiles, "You and your friend… Are not the only outsiders." Immediately, she walks past the young man who keeps his eyes on her; pivoting on his left foot to uphold the task. She continues to walk until she reaches the edge of the back of the building. She looks up to the sky. "A reunion shall take place… at the sight of a shooting star." Riku makes a sound of confusion. "Nothing important," she says before she lightly jumps off the roof. Riku holds his gaze in that direction.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, Riku is walking down the street. He has a hand on his chin; thinking about the mysterious girl's words. Nothing is coming up in his train of thought and thinks about the current situation with the Witches in the city. He ponders if he keeps hunting down Witches, any nearby Magical Girls can lose possible Grief Seeds that he manages to get. However, there was his promise to the girl he saved yesterday; hunting down every Witch in this city.<p>

He is brought out of his musings when he notices a small crowd is gathering in the block ahead. Next to the crowd are several police vehicles, with their lights flashing. In a minute, Riku manages to reach the crowd. There aren't too many people and he can clearly see the authorities have taped off the area for some reason. He asks the nearest person, a man slightly older than him, about what happened. The man looks at him with a sad look and told him that a girl fell from the sky and is lying on the ground dead. Riku's eyes harden. He immediately thought that could this have been another Witch attack. But he does not sense any darkness lingering in the area, so it just might be a set of ordinary circumstances.

Riku decides to get a closer look and sees there's room next to the taped line in front of him. After walking to that point, he looks slightly to the right. His eyes immediately widen in shock. Riku looks on with a gaping mouth. Lying on the ground is none other than the girl he promised to yesterday. _No…_ his mind echoes. He clenches his trembling hands into trembling fists as he looks down. _Don't tell me…_ Riku lowers his head, the shadow from his hair obscures his eyes,_ That a Witch managed to get her. After everything I've done in this city…After saving her…And telling her to stay strong…Was it… all for nothing…_

Right now, he feels like screaming. He needs to vent out his frustrations and sadness. But if he does that, the police would no doubt question about his relationship with Yuma. He prefers not to talk about it, especially that no one would probably believe in Witches. On another note, this is something beyond his control and has no choice but not get involved in this affair. He immediately turns around, blending into the growing crowd behind him.

After walking out of the crowd, he continues onward. His head is still downcast. He looks straight ahead, his eyes filled with a fire of conviction. "For Yuma's sake," he mutters, "I need to keep going forward. I will keep my promise. I'll eliminate the remaining Witches and Familiars in this city."

* * *

><p><em>Mitakahira City<em>

Saïx is in the observation deck of a tall tower. His eyes are focused at the rooftop of a particular building. Seconds later, a bright light shines above the roof. The light show continues to occur for about ten more seconds before the light dims away. "So that's how the little critter strips away the poor sap's soul." Saïx turns his gaze to his left; towards the voice. Leaning on the rail is Xigbar.

"Shouldn't you be spying on Riku?" asked the blue-haired man.

"What's there to spy on?" He says with a dismissive wave of his right hand. "He's been disappearing into barrier after barrier after barrier. He's quite determined in cleaning that little spot up. Besides I was doing HER a favor."

"Her?" the scarred man inquires.

"Your source, who else? She just popped out of nowhere and told me of a cute little girl to pick out. Besides I was quite curious if it was true. Looks like she was right, Magical Girls do become those monstrosities."

"Is that so?" Saïx simply replies before looking forward.

"Yep, and just to leave a little calling card to the Keyblade Master, I just scooped up her lifeless body and dumped it on the street. Might have made a little scene, but I'm sure he'll get the message.

"And that is…"

"You can't protect everyone. Wonder if it made him feel all helpless?" the Sharpshooter's grin grows. Nothing is said for a while. "You know, our benefactor certainly has a sick sense in humor."

"Don't let her actions deceive you," the scarred man said stoically.

"Huh?" Xigbar replies as he looks up at his fellow Organization member.

"Despite how cold and calculating her actions are; they hide her true motive. Her goal is not for just for herself, but others as well. For how and why is unknown. And we have no need to understand these factors."

Xigbar jerks his head up before leveling it as he looks forward, "Well, it doesn't matter if I'm used by her or the old coot. As long as I get what I want, I don't care about anything else. By the way, what are your plans?" he asks as he looks to the other.

Saix moves his gaze and stares at the sniper. Xigbar merely shrugs before looking forward, "Whatever," he says. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you this. How was your reunion with ole Flamesilocks a month ago?" Xigbar looks up at the stoic man with a smirk, only to look at the stern gaze of the other. Saïx turns his body around before looking forward and walking away. Xigbar straightens up before looking at the blue-haired man. He slightly frowns before looking at him seriously, "Best to keep an eye on him as well," he mutters to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: That's Chapter 3 folks. I started to realize this story is turning darker than I originally planned.<strong>

**Then again Kairi's side focuses more on the light and Riku's more on darkness.**

**The next chapter will be up in one month by the most.**

**Until next time.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>NEXT CHAPTER<strong>

**WORD OF ADVICE**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: WORD OF ADVICE**

*ROWDY RUMBLE*

Riku runs forward in a dimly lit hallway with Keyblade in hand. In front of him is a small, white creature with a tiny horn on an oval shaped head, several strands of cloth under it and a sketched out red eye. It hovers over the ground; fleeing at a fast pace. Despite its small size, Riku can tell it is a Witch. At the end of the passage is a small room with five empty jars, from above they form a square with a dot in the middle. The creature flies towards the ceiling as it passes by the middle jar before diving into it. Riku enters the room before stopping and shifting to his battle stance. "So you want to play hide and seek, huh?"

Riku keeps his eye on the middle jar. Soon enough, the Witch pops its head out of the middle jar for a few seconds before diving back in. Riku rushes forward before attacking it. Something pops out of it with a violet, smoky trail. Riku makes a sound of apprehension before clearing out. The object bounces randomly around the room. The smoke exudes a foul odor. Riku is willing to bet the gas is probably toxic and stays clear of it. After bouncing for the sixth time, the object dissipates. Riku stays still, glowering at the space where the poisonous substance disappeared. He hears the jar on the far right from the entrance; which is right behind him. Without hesitation, he turns around and strikes the jar. This time, the Witch pops out before bouncing around the floor. Riku begins his assault on the fleeing creature. After ten seconds, Riku delivers a powerful slash before the creature dives into another jar.

Not wanting to be hasty and unleash another bouncing ball of toxic, Riku waits patiently for the Witch to make its move. The middle jar rattles; Riku strikes it in response. The near-left jar shakes; Riku attacks it as well. The far left jar rattles. After Riku slashes it, the creature pops out. Riku continuously attacks it for five seconds. Riku roars as he delivers a strike at blinding speed. The Witch sways left and right as it floats into the air before dissipating into black smoke. Seconds later, the space around Riku warps before fading away and Riku finds himself in a cemetery under the night sky.

Riku takes in a deep breath before kneeling down to pick up the Grief Seed next to his feet. "Not much of a challenge. That last one put up a better fight." Riku looks up at the stars. After staring for a few seconds Riku looks forward. "Now…" he turns to his right. "There's only one left in this city." The Keyblade Master closes his eyes. _Yuma…I will keep my promise. _ Riku opens his eyes, before walking forward with determination.

* * *

><p>Somewhere in an alley, the mysterious girl Riku met, leans against the wall; staring at the Grief Seed in her hand. She holds her mysterious smile as she closes her eyes. "It's inappropriate to sneak on others…" she says. She opens her right eye halfway as it gazes towards her right, "Xehanort."<p>

*XEHANORT-THE EARLY YEARS-*

As if on cue, a plume of darkness sprouts in that direction five yards away from her. Walking out of the portal is the youngest known member of the Organization. He walks halfway before stopping. "You were expecting me," his tone makes it more of a statement than a question.

"There is nothing I cannot foresee," replies the Magical Girl.

"I may not know what your plan is, but rest assured it will not go as expected. Just because you can look into the future, does not mean you have the power to change it." He waves his right hand slightly, "Fate is something that cannot be altered so easily. Our lives are already etched in stone. However, no one knows their true fate."

"I beg to differ," she says as she closes her eyes. She opens them up, glaring at the boy, "I will protect this world."

Xehanort can see that the girl's eyes are full of resolve. In response to this, he simply smirks with closed eyes a sound of amusement, "Believe what you will," he says before opening his eyes. "You may think you can change the foreseen future, but in fact, you are merely being guided to your undeniable fate…Oriko."

Oriko responds with her own sound of amusement as she closes her eyes. "If you are trying to provoke me, it's a waste of time. I know what will become of me." She takes a few steps forward before turning towards the time traveler. She immediately walks forward. "You will need my assistance, and I am willing to help," she walks past the silver-haired youth. "After all, those two…have the power to free this world…" she stops walking, "with assistance from your Organization of course. By then, everything will be set. Now then," she looks back at Xehanort, "listen well to what I have to say…"

* * *

><p>Riku is walking in a dark alley with another alley perpendicular to the one he's in, five yards behind him. After stopping his gaze is focused to the space in front. "It's here," he says before summoning his Keyblade. He points it straight ahead; particles of light gathering at the tip. After firing a beam of light, it hits something a few yards away and a white portal opens. Riku walks forward; heading into the Witch's barrier.<p>

Riku finds himself in a large room. The floor and walls have a white and black checkerboard pattern. There are also solid, diamond shaped chains pointing straight up; also having the checkerboard theme. "Somehow, I doubt the Witch here plays chest," he says to humor himself a little. He walks forward before he notices five blob-like creatures heading towards him. Their legs are shaped like wheels and have black top-hats on top in their fronts. Riku glares at them before they spread out and surround him.

The one in front charges forward. Just as it gets in front of the Keyblade Master, it reveals a large, vertical maw; starting from just below the hat and towards its stomach. Riku simply smirks before erecting a dark barrier. He immediately points his weapon towards the ceiling. A dark circle opens below him before two blobs of darkness spit out and circle around him, hitting the creature, before they disappear at the Keyblade's tip. Riku immediately strikes it down with a combo of three hits. He moves back into his stance, "Who's next?" he says with a smirk.

* * *

><p>#UMBRA NIGRA#<p>

Oriko stares at the youngest form of Xehanort with her mysterious smile; the latter merely stares at her. Nothing has been said for a while. "Understand?" she says.

"Just to be clear," the Organization member says calmly, "we have no interest in fulfilling your agenda."

"I am well aware of that fact." She turns to her right. "However, by fulfilling my request…" she lazily turns her head towards Xehanort, "you can avoid any…disruptions."

"And why would we do what you have asked?" he asks with a slight wave of his hand.

"I already gave you your reason," she says with her gaze more focused on the young man.

Xehanort smirks as he makes a sound of amusement with closed eyes. He opens them back up seconds later, "Suppose everything goes as you desired… what will that accomplish?"

Oriko looks up to the night sky. She stays silent for ten seconds. "Salvation for all Magical Girls," she replies.

Xehanort simply looks at her for a few seconds before turning around. "I shall…deliberate this subject…with him," he says before walking forward as a Corridor of Darkness opens. After walking into the darkness, the corridor closes.

Oriko simply stands there. She opens her mouth, releasing a small, contented sigh. "So…he'll be the one…"

* * *

><p>#VENARI STRIGAS#<p>

A blob-like creature is thrown in the air. After hitting the ground seconds later, it vanishes into dark smoke. Riku stands ready in his stance with a smirk. He is surrounded by nine more of the top-hatted Familiars. Two from behind the Keyblade Master charge at him. Riku jumps up, turning around, before diving straight down; piercing the ground as he makes a shockwave that disorients the attacking creatures. Without hesitation Riku strikes twice on one of them before eliminating it. He follows up with a finishing slash; destroying the other.

The seven familiars remaining simply look at Riku. One by one, they charge at him. Riku's eyes narrow as he dodges the monsters. After about half a minute, One Familiar jumps at him, Riku jumps to the side. Unfortunately, another one was ready and is already descending towards him with its mouth wide open. Without missing a step though, Riku cries as he swings upwards; cutting through the Familiar vertically. The two halves hit the ground before turning to smoke.

The six remaining monsters circle around Riku, who stands ready in defense. They charge at him from different directions. Riku responds by shielding himself in a barrier. After their attacks hit the barrier, Riku immediately activates Counter Aura; summoning a dark aura around himself, which damages the creatures. With the Familiars disoriented from their failed attack and Riku's counter, Riku instantly kills three of them during a three-hit combo. Riku turns around and brings his Keyblade to a draw position. Moments later, he instantly disappears and reappears behind the Familiars, which all burst into smoke. Riku returns to his stance; scanning the area for more threats. After a few seconds, he can tell the coast is clear for now. He dismisses his weapon as he relaxes a bit.

After a minute, Riku is walking forward. In front of him are four vertical chains spread out in the shape of a square. Riku stops before them. He looks up finding the chains are directly connected to the corners of a black square in the ceiling. The square in question is actually an open canopy. Riku can feel the presence just above him and concludes that the floor between the chains is part of an elevator. "This is it," he says casually before summoning his Keyblade. Riku walks to the center of the supposed elevator. After he stops, the floor shook a little before it gets pulled up into the canopy. After about ten seconds, Riku is now in a long, dark shaft. Riku tightens his Keyblade. "I will keep my promise," he mutters before seeing the light starting to pierce through the darkness at the end. His eyes slightly tighten as he prepares himself.

*THE DEEP END*

As Riku's enters the room, he immediately notices the Witch in front of him. The Witch is mainly black, its body composed of a tower of three female torsos on top of a pair of long thin legs. On its head, is a white hat with an eye with tattered flower petals sprouting from below it. Sprouting from its shoulder are two long scythes with thin shafts. Riku tilts his head forward slightly before shifting to his battle stance.

Both sides stand still as they face each other. Riku runs towards the Witch. The Witch swings its right scythe at the Keyblade Master when he got close enough. Riku slides, feet first; dodging the scythe as it cuts nothing but the air above him. Riku flips over, still sliding, before jumping backwards on his feet. Time seems to slow down as Riku turns around; ready to swing his Keyblade as the Witch prepares a swing from its left as it crosses its body. Their blades strike against another before Riku gets thrown back from the clash. Riku fires several fire spells from his Keyblade. He flips back once and lands on the ground; sliding for a few feet. The spells hit the Witch but does not flinch.

Riku charges forward again. Riku gets close, yet the Witch does not make an attack. Riku is sure that something's not right; believing that the Witch is waiting for the right time to strike. Riku jumps forward and starts attacking the main body. Riku strikes a three-hit combo before landing in front of the Witch's legs. After doing two more combos, the Witch immediately attacks the airborne Keyblade Master. To Riku's surprise, the Witch's attacks are fast as a flash; but manages to parry three times. After that however, Riku gets struck by the shaft of the Witche's right arm, and is open to three more strikes from the Witch before Riku gets pushed into the ground with a cry of pain; tumbling backwards several times.

Riku gets back on his feet. The Witch swings upwards with the blunt end. Riku catches the top part of the scythe, which could cut him in half, for a second before he is thrown back in the air again. Riku recovers and lands with a slide before casting a Cure spell on himself. "Man, that thing's fast," he mutters. "I got to be careful when I get too close to that Witch."

Riku runs forward once more. Riku keeps his eyes on the Witch's movements. He suddenly stops as the monster's left scythe digs into the ground just in front of him. Riku jumps up and propels himself forward to gain additional speed grinding on its thin arm. Riku reaches the end before jumping off and performing several spin attacks in the air with a bright aura surrounding him. Riku kicks off the Witch's face to get some distance. Unfortunately, the Witch is fast enough to send him crashing into the ground with a slash from its right arm; creating a dust cloud.

After the dust cloud dissipates Riku is kneeling with one hand on his knee; catching his breath as he looks down. He snaps his head up before jumping back; barely dodging the Witch's attack. After landing, Riku fires a fire spell before launching a blizzard one. He follows up with Dark Firaga from the tip of his Keyblade. The first two spells hit their mark on the upper torso. At that moment, the dark blue fireball disperses into eight smaller flames before they all hit the Witch.

The Witch wails as it cranes its head back. In response, three of its familiars break out of the ground in front of it. Riku narrows his gaze as shifts into his battle stance. "Think calling for backup will make a difference." Nothing happens as the Witch and its minion face the Keyblade Master. He decides to wait for the Familiars to attack; this way he can defeat them easily without being distracted from their master.

All of a sudden, the boy's eyes go wide. The familiar is right in front of him; its jaws wide open. Instinctively, Riku manages to slice through it vertically. He immediately notices the other two Familiars charging at him with insane speed. Riku jumps over them. After landing, he sees them coming back and rolls forward; the Familiars barely nicking him on his arms. Riku gets on his feet. He turns around and the Familiars are simply staring at him.

_How did they get so much faster?_ Riku wonders. This is the first time that this type of Familiar is capable of striking at such speeds. Their attacks are almost just as fast as the Witch's strikes. Riku makes a slight gasp of realization. _Now I get it. They didn't get faster._ _It's me that's getting slower_. Riku looks up at the master of the barrier with a glare. _And I'm willing to bet that it's because of this Witch. _Riku stares at the two monsters. He stands ready with a smirk. The two charge forward. This time though, Riku keeps track of them. Riku raises his Keyblade at the right time; the Familiar's ran into his guard. Dazed from their failed attack, Riku quickly strikes them down.

With the Familiars taken care of, Riku focuses all of his attention on the Witch. Riku focuses power into Keyblade; which transforms to a large, dark blue energy sword. Riku continues to focus more energy. A dark aura emanates from him as he slowly rises into the air. "I hope your fast!" he yells out as his body is surrounds by white aura with a black outline. He immediately disappears. For the next few seconds, he's been appearing from one point around the Witch before rushing through it and disappearing again; causing ripples in the air from appearing and disappearing. He suddenly appears above the Witch. "Sloppy!" he cries out as he cuts into the Witch before slamming into the ground and creating plumes of dark energy springing forth from the ground.

The Witch wails as it flails it body around for a few seconds. It rears its head back before it body begins to crack. Seconds later, the head and the upper-most torso falls apart with apart like glass. The middle section breaks apart as well as the body falls on its knees. During this time, its hat gently falls onto the ground. The broken shards litter the ground before they slowly disintegrate as does the body. After there is nothing left, its Grief Seed hovers in the air. Riku takes hold of it before the space around him warps into darkness. The darkness soon fades away and Riku finds himself back in the alley.

*RIKU'S THEME*

Riku takes in his surroundings before breathing a sigh of relief. He brings his clenched fist towards his chest as faces the ground with closed eyes. _Yuma… I've kept my promise. Now… I hope that you can rest in peace._ Riku puts the Grief Seed into his right pocket. He turns around before walking forward, eyes still closed. As he processes his thoughts, he can distinctly hear a girl's voice screaming loud, but he could not make what it said.

He exits the alley and into an intersecting one. He notices a presence to his left. He looks towards that direction, opening his eyes and finds a girl with red hair tied in a ponytail with a black ribbon. She has red eyes, a blue, long-sleeved shirt over a short black undershirt, a pair of blue, jean shorts and brown boots. He says nothing as takes in these facts. He immediately notes the fact that this girl is all alone in an alley with a small object in the palm of her left hand. He doesn't put much attention on it, but he has a good guess of what it is. Riku makes his conclusion, "You're a Magical Girl, aren't you?"

The girl takes a step back, "W-What are talking about?" she said with a nervous smile.

Riku takes another look at the item in her palm, "That's a Soul Gem, right?"

The girl freezes for a second before regaining her composure with a serious look. "How'd you know about that?" she demands.

"I have my sources," said the Keyblade Master while closing eyes. He places his hand in his right pocket. After a second, he takes out the Grief Seed he just earned in his clenched hand. "Here, catch," he says as he tosses it to her.

The girl catches it with her right hand. After opening the said hand with the palm facing up, her face is full of surprise. "Where did you get this?!" she demands.

Riku simply shrugs, "Just now. That Witch wasn't even a challenge." Though the Witch he fought did pose a few problems, in his experience it was not much of a challenge when compared to fighting against the members of the Organization.

After she looks at with a surprised look, she suddenly glares at him with grinding teeth, "Is this the only Witch you hunted tonight?"

"Let's see…" he says; crossing his arms. "I already took out a bunch of them earlier in the day. For the past few hours, three, including the one I just beat."

Riku notices a flash in her eyes as she glares at him with more intensity. "So, you're the one…" she says before her Soul Gem glows. The light wraps around her body and in a flash, she is now wearing a completely different outfit. She now wears a long, red, sleeveless dress shirt with white frills. The dress split in a v-shape below her chest area, showing a black undershirt that ends just past her wait. Under that is a pink, frilly skirt. She is wearing thin, white arm warmers, with black cuffs, that stop about an inch or two from her shoulders. She also sports a pair of red boots with white cuffs, with black stockings that stop just past her knees. Riku also takes note of a red gem attached to her skin in an opening in her dress, which is above her chest and below the collar around her neck. Riku notices these feature in seconds as she summons a decorative spear. She immediately twirls is before shifting into a battle stance. "You're the one that's been taking all my kills!"

"Your kills?" the Keyblade Master asks with a raised eyebrow.

"That's right! This is my territory! And I'll take all of the Grief Seeds you have!"

Riku can tell she has some skill, but he can gauge that he can beat her easily in a few seconds. "Sorry, I don't feel like fighting you." He says before turning around and walks away_._

"You're not getting away!" the girl says as she charges at him. Riku stops, looking over his shoulder. She moves in for a thrust, aiming straight at the boy's head. Just as the spear is about to pierce his skull, he nimbly moves his head out of the way with closed eyes. She continues swing at him several times, Riku dodges each strike effortlessly. She goes for a horizontal strike. In response, he backflips out of her reach. The Magical Girl roars with a battle cry; thrusting the spear towards the Keyblade Master's chest. Just before she can impale in his chest, Riku teleports and appears behind her with his back towards her own. There is a slight calm for a few seconds before she turns around for a sweeping blow. Her spear knocks out a pipe segment on the wall, sent it soaring into the air, before Riku jumps out of the way. The boy twists in the air and lands a few yards away from her, next to the pipe that landed before he did, facing towards the girl. "Stop trying to run away!" she yells out, swinging her spear.

_She's really hot-headed, _he thought as he puts a fist on his waist, "Hmph. Looks like you won't take 'no' for an answer." The girl simply glares at him. The Keyblade Master sighs, _Guess she'll have to find out the hard way_. "Fine. How about a deal?"

The girl's tension fades away slightly, "A deal?"

Riku nods, "If you can hit me once, I'll tell anything you want to know? But if I hit you first, you leave me alone, deal?" She continues to glare at him before she nods grudgingly. "Alright then." He looks down at the pipe segment on the ground. _Its best she doesn't know about the Keyblade. I bet I can infuse this thing with darkness. That ought to be enough to teach her place._ He bends down, picks up the pipe, and stands ready with the pipe in front of his face, horizontally. "Come get me."

The Magical Girl stares at him with eyes trembling with rage. She charges at him, crying out for a powerful strike. She raises the spear above her head and brings it down at him. At that moment, Riku infuses the pipe segment in his hand with darkness; the aura taking a shape of a black sword. After their weapons clash, the girl's eyes are wide open in shock. The Keyblade Master smirks before repelling the spear away easily, pushing her off balance. Immediately, he is right in front of her. Riku summons dark energy in his free hand. Swiftly, but gently, places the hand on her stomach. A moment later, Riku unleashes the energy, pushing her into the air; the Magical Girl losing grip of her weapon. She tumbles into the ground for a few more yards away from him with the spear landing next to her after bouncing several times.

Riku tosses the pipe towards the red-head, who is trying to get off the ground. The pipe clangs on the pavement several times before rolling to a wall. "Now you know why I have no interest in fighting you," he says. Riku turns around, "Stay out of trouble, you hear me?" He starts to walk away just as the Magical Girl finally gets up on her knees. She glares dangerously at him for a few seconds.

She takes hold her spear before she sprints towards him. "Where do you think you're going?!" She cries out just before she swings at him. Riku simply stands, sighing to himself mentally. He senses her attack and just before it reaches him, he teleports behind her again. The girl freezes after her failed attempt. Riku quickly summons his Keyblade, pointing directly at the nape of neck; poking it slightly.

"Word of advice. If someone says they don't want to fight, chances are they are completely above your level. Don't know about you? But I've been playing this type of game far longer than you can imagine." The girl does not make an attempt to response. Riku closes his eyes as he thinks for a moment. _If she stays here, she won't be able to get anymore Grief Seeds_. Riku recalls that Magical Girls need Grief Seeds in order to keep their magic in good supply. _I might put Kairi in danger, but there's only one place I know of where this one can find more. _Riku opens his eyes, "If I were you, I suggest you head to a place called Mitakahira City." The girl tenses slightly. "There are no more Witches here for you to hunt," the Keyblade Master states, leaving the girl speechless for a few seconds.

"Wh-What do you mean?" she asks nervously.

"I do not sense any more Witches or Familiars in this city. Since there is nothing left here, I'll take my cue and leave. I doubt we'll meet again but if we do…" The girl stiffens, waiting for what he has to say, "I hope you will clean up your act a bit." Riku dismisses his Keyblade. In the next moment, the girl turns around. Riku jumps over at the same time. Just as she is able to look at the direction the Keyblade Master was, Riku is already in the air behind her. He propels himself forward with a white aura. After a few seconds, he shifts towards one of the walls about twenty yards away from her. He lands on the wall before wall jumping upwards to the rooftops.

Meanwhile, the girl looks in the area in front of her. She turns around, but sees no sign of Riku. The girl looks down, making a sound of annoyance. _Just who was that guy!?_ she screams in her head.

"Oh, there you are Kyoko," a childish voice enters her mind. She straightens up before turning around, finding a white creature with long ears and a large, fluffy tail, swishing gracefully.

"Can I help you, Kyubey?" the red-head asks.

"Well, I was quite curious," Kyubey replies telepathically, "I notice there are not many Witches around here. Have you been busy, Kyoko?"

Kyoko looks to the side. She recalls the boy's words; mostly about his claim of no more Witches in this city and his suggestion of going to Mitakahira. "Say how's Mami doing?"

"She's doing fine. Although she nearly lost her head, recently."

"What do you mean?"

"It means exactly what it means."

"Is that a fact?" Kyoko purses her lips as she brings two fingers up to touch them. "So what happened?"

"She could have died if another Magical Girl did not appear in time."

"Another Magical Girl?" she asks with raised eyebrow.

"Actually there are three more. I just made a contract with one of them."

"I see…" Kyoko considers her options. After recalling the boy's words again, she makes her decision, "You know what, I think I'll drop by there. Besides gathering Grief Seeds, I'm quite curious of this new rookie." She says before walking forward, passing by the white creature.

Kyubey turns around halfway. _Knowing Kyoko's personality and beliefs, I believe she can push the others enough for Her to make a contract._ Kyubey quickly follows the Magical Girl.

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: That's the latest chapter.<strong>

**I was at first hesitant of using the initial encounter between Riku and Kyoko because it may make the story redundant.**

**But then I thought of showing the fight from Riku's perspective and what happens with two afterwards.**

**Next chapter will be up at a month at most.**

**Until next time.**

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><p><span><strong>NEXT CHAPTER<strong>

**BE CAREFUL OUT THERE**


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